Cavan performance sale

Illustrating the varied demand for Irish sport horses, five very different lots broke €10,000 at Cavan last week. The top price of €13,600 fell to a 15.2hh Connemara three-year-old.

Also featuring among the successful quintet were a cob, a pony and two performance horses.

The one-day renewal was the penultimate performance sale of the year, and although the figures did not match the prices of twelve months ago, they closed positively enough with a clearance rate of 71% (70% in 2021) together with an average of €5,176 (€5,505 in 2021).

Sale topper

Co Monaghan trader Keith Wilson has enjoyed his most successful season to date, and adding to his list of sale-toppers was the Connemara-bred class 2 gelding Star Blazer.

Standing 15.2hh the three-year-old by Truskan Boy was out of Primula Pearls Blazer (Ganty Blazer) and was a recent addition to Wilson’s yard.

The bidding was lively for this eyecatcher, who was secured by Leicestershire based event horse owner JD Miles.

Other notables

As always, those with jumping form proved popular, and one typical of the sort in demand was Cyril Trenier’s homebred mare Tic Toc Candy by Sligo Candy Boy.

Only a six-year-old, and the winner of 15 SJI points from a limited number of outings, she looked well bought by a cash buyer at €12,000.

As one of two lots to realise €10,000, Stephen Lynch’s nine-year-old Barnaboy Peach Cobbler by the sport horse sire Cottage Fire was another proven individual.

Bred by Conor Connolly out of the mare Oatfield Lily (Puissance), he had been ridden by a sixteen-year-old girl, and had been placed in a ridden hunter class at the RDS.

Maura Counihan’s homebred seven-year-old Killerisk Harper Lee also carried jumping form. A daughter of Future Trend and the winner of 149 SJI points, she will go to Denmark at €9,000.

Younger stock

There was some notable prices among the younger stock, but by and large the trade was unspectacular.

Jackie Conn’s Kinnego Cavalier Cruising (by Cavalier Cruise) headed the four-year-olds at €8,000 when secured by Jim Derwin while, sale topper aside, the best three-year-old return at €7,400 was Dan Fallon’s big grey gelding Moneencross Blue Ice by Zirocco Blue VDL out of the predominately traditionally bred dam Annrattabeg Ice Princess (Blackice).

Ponies

The pony trade was strong from the get go, with Paraic Kelly’s 138 cms jumping pony Hendricks landing a return of €10,700.

Selling as the fourth lot, the Connemara bred six-year-old was by Roberts Pride out of Good As Gold (Tasty Pride) and having clocked up 125 SJI points, was knocked down to trader Tiernan Gray.

Also selling well at €8,000 was Fiona Donohue’s Connemara filly Erins Eye a four-year-old pony by Festy The Chief out of Ech Na Sleibhe (Fridericksminde Hazy Move On).